By the endYou have a working name, and one or two public name ideas you have checked.
A name is easier to change before launch than after. This step finds a few good ones and checks that nobody well-known is using them. Your working name, the one you use with Claude and in folder names, can stay the same even if the public name changes later.
What a good name looks like
Short: one or two words. Apple allows up to 30 characters in the App Store, but shorter is better.
Simple to say out loud, and you can spell it after hearing it once.
Hints at what the app does or how it feels. "Binder" is where cards live.
Not the name of a famous app, and not containing "Apple", "iPhone" or "App Store". Apple doesn't allow those, and Google has similar rules about "Android" and "Google".
Not containing the name of a card game or the company that makes it. Those names are trademarks. Describe the games your app covers in the subtitle instead.
Not an investment word like "portfolio" or "returns". Your app shows prices; it doesn't give financial advice.
Ask Claude for ideas
Send the message for your kind of app. It is complete; change any word you like.
Collection tracker
Seller's app
Shop app
Pick your three favourites and write them in your notes under "Name ideas".
Check each name four ways
The app store. On your phone, open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android), tap Search, type the name. If an app with the same name does the same kind of thing, cross it out. A same-name app that does something unrelated is less of a problem, but it will confuse people; prefer a free name.
A web search. In your browser, search the name plus the word "app". Look at the first page of results.
A domain name. That's a web address like yournameapp.com. You'll want one for your website in Part 13. Search the web for "domain name search", open one of the results, and type a few versions: the name alone, the name with "app" after it. Available is a good sign. Don't buy anything yet.
A trademark. A trademark is a name a company has registered so others can't use it for the same kind of product. In the United States, go to tmsearch.uspto.gov, type the name, and look for live results about software or apps. Other countries have their own search pages.
This guide is not legal advice. If a name has a close match in the trademark search, pick another. If you're unsure and the name matters to you, ask a lawyer before you launch. Part 15 talks about when to get professional help.
Working name and public name
In this guide, the example keeps its working name, Binder, all the way through. Your App Store search will probably show that other apps use plain "Binder" too. That's why the public name can be different: "Binder Cards", "Binder Collection", or something else that checked out. You decide the public name in Part 17, and you can still change it until the day you submit.
In your notes, write: "Working name: ...". Under it: "Public name ideas: ..." with what each check found.